Chapter 268 - Sisters

Liu Lin was scared out of his wits. After he scanned the clippings on the wall and read the documents on the table, he left and activated the mechanism to close the entrance leading to the secret room. Then, he jumped out of the window before going back to the hotel to tell Yi Bing and Si Shui of what he discovered. 

At the same time, Feng Er's eyes shone the more she read from the diary she found on the drawer of Xi Zhengting's table. Naturally, it wasn't Xi Zhengting's diary since it isn't his style. The owner of the diary is Xi Ningsu. From what she read, Xi Ningsu is Xi Zhengting's half-sister. Xi Zhengtian had Xi Ningsu when he was made drunk by a social climber, which led to his and Lin Yuxiu's biggest fight. Naturally, the social climber had it worse than Xi Zhengtian. 

But, it was fortunate to Xi Ningsu who was in her biological mother's belly at that time. Lin Yuxiu, at that time, still doesn't have a daughter from Xi Zhengtian and only has two sons – Xi Zhengteng and Xi Zhengting. Thus, she locked the social climber until she gave birth to Xi Ningsu. After Xi Ningsu was born, there was no 'after' that, since nobody knew how did the social climber ended up.. 

Lin Yuxiu raised Xi Ningsu like her own daughter until Xi Ningxi was born. She always educated the sisters to be close to each other, since they only had each other to confide on if she, their mother, was gone. However, Xi Ningxi grew jealous to Xi Ningsu since Xi Ningsu came first than her. She thought Xi Ningsu stole everybody's love that was supposed to be hers, the legitimate daughter. But, Xi Ningsu became the eldest daughter, not because of age, but because she was legitimized by Lin Yuxiu herself. 

Finally, her happiness came when Xi Ningsu was to be married to Joseph Baurne, since Xi Ningsu will finally leave the house. However, she didn't expect for their eldest brother, Xi Zhengteng, to make a fuss about the Baurne family being violent people since they are part of the underworld, and one of the major forces of the underworld at that, and so their hands are stained with blood, and they aren't worthy of Xi Ningsu, a daughter of a respective family. 

Xi Zhengfeng, Xi Zhengtian's younger brother and the acting family head at that time after Xi Zhengtian died, was forced to annul the engagement between Xi Ningsu and Joseph Baurne since the 'scandal' already blown up because of his idiot eldest son who publicized the Xi family's strong 'dissatisfaction' towards the Baurne family. They could only turn to the aristocratic families, but on the world of light unlike the Baurne family, who is also an aristocratic family, but living in the world of dark. 

And so, they eyed the Hao family. However, Hao Baiyun broke his ties with his family. Thus, the Xi family eyed the Gu family. But, likewise with Hao Baiyun, Gu Xingfeng renounced himself as not a Gu, and so the Xi family could only turn to the Lee family, who is rising among the aristocrats. They engaged Xi Ningsu to David Lee, who is also interested in Xi Ningsu. 

Who could have expected that after the storms passed, there's another one, and a bigger one at that, to arrive? Because Xi Zhengteng was still making a fuss, Xi Zhengfeng confronted him and he found that Xi Zhengteng is in love with his half-sister! And so, he banished him abroad. However, the storm didn't stop there. It was because Xi Ningsu eloped with Joseph Baurne and, like a mist, they disappeared without them all knowing where to find them! They left, leaving no traces! 

If Feng Er didn't have Xi Ningsu's diary, she would also be puzzled how could Xi Ningsu, who is about to be wed with David Lee, escaped from the Xi family. However, she has Xi Ningsu's diary, and so she found that it was Xi Ningxi who helped her escape. 

Xi Ningxi is actually secretly in love with David Lee. To foil Xi Ningsu's wedding with him, she helped Xi Ningsu escape. She doesn't care what happens after that, since her eyes are only on David Lee. She knows she's the next candidate to marry David Lee. 

And she did get what she wished. She married David Lee, but what she didn't expect is her life after that. David Lee is a violent man. What Xi Zhengteng claimed before that the people of the underworld are all violent people, Xi Ningxi realized that even the gentlest-looking man is actually more violent than the mafia. She became a battered housewife, and her family has no knowledge of that. 

Feng Er sat on the table as she flipped the pages of the diary. How did Xi Ningxi's married life got in Xi Ningsu's diary? It's because Xi Ningxi ran to Xi Ningsu, asking for comfort with her body filled with bruises, a clear evidence of physical abuse. However, Xi Ningxi feared that the Xi family is weaker than the Lee family, so she didn't complain to her father and brothers about what happened to her since she is afraid the Lee family would retaliate against the Xi family. She can't endanger her mother and her brothers. She can only run to Xi Ningsu whom she helped escape the Xi family and hide. 

Since Xi Ningxi didn't want to return to David Lee, she was deemed as missing. The Xi family can't conduct an investigation about her disappearance. They wanted to interrogate the Lee family, but, suddenly, like a coincidence, Xi Zhengfeng died. And because Xi Zhengteng is useless, the barely passed a legal age Xi Zhengting was declared the heir and would inherit the position as the family head. Fortunately, Xi Zhengting is the complete opposite of his elder brother and he is a brilliant seedling. The Xi family suffered blow after blow, but it was overturned after Xi Zhengting came of age, and Lin Yuxiu and the Li family was there to support them. 

Feng Er flipped another page. Xi Ningsu wrote that her baby is about to be born. However, Joseph Baurne received a news from Jonathan Baurne that someone found their place. It was due to the 'missing' Xi Ningxi who left to buy their foods. Joseph Baurne didn't blame her and he prepared for them three, together with the unborn one, to leave. 

Xi Ningxi, blaming herself, made herself useful. She has a classmate in her school which is her confidante and they hid on her classmate's house. However, Xi Ningxi never expected for her classmate to betray their whereabouts. She remained on her classmate's house to buy Xi Ningsu and Joseph Baurne some time to escape. 

However, her classmate is truly a tattletale as she also reported about Joseph Baurne and the about to give birth Xi Ningsu. Joseph Baurne fled with his wife, and they fortunately found an abandoned house where Xi Ningsu gave birth. Joseph Baurne knew that they will die, and so he found someplace to hide their newly-born child. 

He found an inconspicuous dry well that was hidden behind the tall trees. He placed the sleeping child in the bucket, together with the things for infants inside, before he covered them with a dark cloth. He lowered the bucket until it reached the bottom of the well where the light can't reach in case their pursuers would find their child. 

When he returned to the house, he found his wife on her last breath. Then, before their pursuers could arrive, Joseph Baurne took his life as soon as his wife took her last breath. Thus, when their pursuers arrived, they found the dead husband and wife, but the child is missing. But, since they have 'finished' their task, which is to kill Joseph Baurne, they left. As for the child, who cares about it?

Xi Ningxi, in actual fact, naturally wouldn't return after she got her freedom. So, after she ensured Joseph Baurne and Xi Ningsu have left, she also left. But, as she was leaving, she saw David Lee. There was no glee she felt, only fear. She knew, it wasn't her whom David Lee was looking for, but Xi Ningsu! He still hasn't given up on Xi Ningsu. Thus, Xi Ningxi followed them, only to confirm her thoughts after David Lee gazed deeply at Xi Ningsu's corpse. 

Xi Ningxi heard David Lee order his people to return and release the news that they have 'failed' to capture her, Xi Ningxi. Because David Lee knew that the Baurne family have gotten the news that Xi Ningxi is with Xi Ningsu and her husband, Joseph Baurne, he didn't take Xi Ningsu's corpse with him since everyone in the circle knew Xi Ningsu eloped with Joseph Baurne. The Lee family isn't strong enough yet to contend against the Baurne family, so he could only regrettably leave Xi Ningsu's corpse with Joseph Baurne. 

Once everyone left, Xi Ningxi came out of her hiding and carefully wiped clean the couple's corpses before she left to find her nephew. She doesn't need to fix the couple's position, since they are tightly embracing each other. 

She walked out and, after some time, finally found the well. She carefully pulled the bucket up and took the bucket where her nephew was placed inside. After checking that her nephew is alive, she sighed in relief. Then, she went back inside the house to clean her nephew next. She also found her sister's diary. 

Not long later, Jonathan Baurne arrived and took her together with her nephew.